Misconceptions and Myths
"If that's misinformation, then we'll just tell you all these lies, it doesn't matter." (Chuck Woolery on June 7, 1976, after being told that $8,325 was the half-hour single-round record.) "...you know, we're not above spreading misinformation." (Pat Sajak on December 15, 1995, after expressing uncertainty that $73,150 was the one-day record.) As with many TV shows, Wheel of Fortune has had a number of misconceptions and myths created over its long history; while some were born from a lack of information and audiovisual evidence of the early years, others were made by inaccurate reporters and websites. Still more were crafted by the show itself, or its employees, which have caused some backlash from the more devoted parts of its fanbase. This page addresses the misconceptions, myths, and rumors, sorting fact from fiction. The Wheel Myth: Bankrupt has always used its slide-whistle sound effect. Fact: The original slide whistle debuted sometime between June 7, 1976 and April 6, 1978, with one recollection claiming it was present in 1977. The current, lower-pitched whistle debuted on Bob Goen's first episode (July 17, 1989), which also introduced most of the other current sound effects. Myth: $750 was always adjacent to Bankrupt. Fact: When the show debuted, $750 was between $50 (later $150) and $200 in Round 2. Much later, the Goen era had $750 between $100 and $500 in Round 4, as displayed at right. Still later, Wheel 2000 had its 750-point wedge (www.Wheel2000.com) between 150 and 450, neither of which were adjacent to penalty wedges. Indeed, $750 was not adjacent to Bankrupt until it became the top value in Round 1 sometime between June 4 and December 4, 1979. It remained there through June 30, 1989 in daytime and the second week of Season 14 on nighttime. Myth: The lowest amounts ever used were $50♦ and $75♦, early in the Goen era. Fact: $0 was used on the Shopper's Bazaar pilot, and $25 when the show debuted. Prior to Goen, $50 had been used from 1973-75 while $75 was only used in 1975. Myth: No Wheel layout has ever used more than one Lose A Turn wedge. Fact: The Shopper's Bazaar pilot had four Lose A Turns, and when the show debuted in 1975 a second Lose A Turn was added in Round 2; two were also present on the 1987-89 boat rug, the cover of the 1988 Junior Edition NES game, and the prototype of the 2010 Raw Thrills redemption game (a layout also sporting six Bankrupts). Some international versions have or had multiple Lose A Turns. [[International versions#Finland|Finland's Onnenpyörä]] used four at one point, designated by an X on top of a turning arrow. Myth: The "logo on overhead Wheel shot" open was introduced in 1983, and dropped when the show moved to CBS. Fact: A very similar shot was done during the opening of the 1975 premiere, after which the Wheel zoomed in to introduce Chuck. Once the "chant" opening was introduced in August 1983, it remained through at least July 21, 1989 (Goen's fifth episode) with the new logo at the end, but was discontinued sometime between then and August 29. Myth: No Wheel layout has ever used more than one of the top dollar value. Fact: By the time of the First Edition home game, a second $500 wedge was added in Round 1; a third was added, increased from $100, sometime between June 7, 1976 and March 15, 1978. Barring some minor font alterations and the change of a blue $400 to red, this layout remained until the top value was increased to $750 in 1979. From 1973-75, and again since 1979, the top value of any round has been one-of-a-kind (and the only regular four-digit amount in any round since September 16, 1996). Myth: The $2,000 space debuted in 1979. Fact: $2,000 was used on the hour-long episodes in late 1975 and January 1976, where it was top value for the "head-to-head all-cash showdown" round which determined the day's winner. On January 19, 1976, the wedge was retired until sometime between June 4 and December 4, 1979, when it returned to being the top value. Myth: Prize wedges debuted on the nighttime premiere. Fact: The concept dates back to the 1975-76 hour-long period, where one was placed on the Wheel for the aforementioned head-to-head round. Myth: The chroma-key Wheel shot of the host and hostess was introduced in 1980. Fact: It is known to have been used on June 7, 1976. While dropped by April 6, 1978 (possibly when Dick Carson became director), it returned sometime between January 2 and March 18, 1980. The ensuing years appear to have used it less and less frequently; its last known use is the first Big Month of Cash episode on October 5, 1987. Myth: $700, $800, and $900 were added to Round 1 at the beginning of Season 2. Fact: They were introduced sometime between November 23 and December 19, 1984, but after the wide-font $1,000 debuted in the same timeframe. Myth: The show has never used a $950 wedge in any way. Fact: $950 was used on the 1987-89 boat rug (also notable for having two Lose A Turn wedges), the 1989-92 opening animation, and the other onstage rugs and turntables (including the blue wedge at right) through mid-1994. Strangely, it is the only multiple of $50 between that amount and $1,000 to never be used in actual gameplay. There are only two known instances of it being a playable value: the 1991 MS-DOS game (as that Wheel was based on the 1989 opening), and 950 markkas on the aforementioned Onnenpyörä. Myth: There have never been two adjacent cash wedges of the same value. Fact: From January-June 1988, the Free Spin wedge was covered by a noticeably "off-model" yellow $200 wedge in Round 2, despite being next to an "on-model" red $200 with another $200 very close by. When Season 6 began on September 5, Free Spin's replacement was increased to a $300 which was off-model in a different way (using a larger dollar sign and smaller "3"). Shortly after the Free Spin wedge was retired in October 1989, the $300 was replaced by an on-model $500. Myth: The diamonds for $50 and $75 were added on Goen's premiere. Fact: They were added on his second show (July 18), which also increased a $50 wedge to the aforementioned "off-model" $300. The off-model $300 was only used for that one show, dropping back to $50♦ in a swap with the adjacent $125. It is not certain why the diamonds were added, but likely that they were meant to fill the space usually containing the third/fourth number(s) in larger values. While present for at least the first seven weeks, they were reduced in number from five to three on July 19, then two by August 29, before disappearing entirely sometime in September (definitely by the 18th). Myth: The current rules for obtaining a Prize/token debuted at the beginning of Season 8. Fact: The original rules, where the item was obtained immediately and a letter was called for the value underneath, remained through at least September 11, 1990. The current rules, which require a correct letter call before picking up the item, debuted by December 25. Myth: The top dollar value has never been covered by a Prize or token. Fact: It has happened at least twice. The first (October 26, 1992) had Surprise on $1,000 in Round 1, while on May 1, 1995 the Free Spin was placed over the first zero of said wedge; it was picked up in that round but, as per the rules at the time, no cash was awarded. Both instances suggest, perhaps wrongly, that the show was being stingy – the latter in particular due to being in Celebrity Award Winners Week, where celebrities played for charity. Myth: No penalty wedges have ever been covered by a Prize or token. Fact: The $10,000 Wedge was placed over a Bankrupt until September 16, 1996 – the Bankrupt between $600 and $500 in Rounds 3+ for its first two seasons, the sole Bankrupt in Round 2 for the first two weeks of Season 14. Much earlier, Lose A Turn was covered by the Round 2 Prize on November 15, 1988 as said wedge was shown, although this was fixed (with the Prize moving to the nearby $150) before the first spin. Myth: The current Lose A Turn wedge (used since September 16, 1996) is white. Fact: It is a very light shade of yellow. Myth: The wedge underneath the top dollar value on the 1996 template was blank. Fact: When the single template was introduced on September 16, the wedge underneath the top dollar value was the yellow $1,000. While never used in-game, it was seen during the credits on several episodes of Season 14 as well as the 1998 Andrews McMeel day-by-day calendar, 1999 Parker Brothers home game box, and 2008 Endless Games "Quick Picks" card game (where it appeared on the scorecard as an available value despite not actually having a card, possibly planned for the Mystery Wedge). Another instance of its use on-set (though not in-game) was on the Press Kit page of the site at the time, which can be viewed here. The wedge was not blank until the template was revamped on September 7, 1998. Myth: The font of the Wheel wedges is "Chesterfield", also known as "Volta". Fact: Chesterfield was only used for a period starting with the 1974 pilots. As the series continued, the appearance of certain parts of the Wheel changed slightly: by March 15, 1978 the Bankrupt font became a bit bolder (most noticeably the R), and by April 6 became considerably bolder (most noticeably the U, now even); by March 2, 1979 the 7's were modified to have a flat bottom instead of a rounded one, and eventually more numbers started changing such as the 8's and 0's. Though most Wheel templates were likely hand-painted, especially in the early days, Wheel stuck with the modified font until January 2003 when all numbers (but not letters since Bankrupt kept the same appearance) were modified once again. In this new font, only the 7, 8, and $ look identical to their counterparts in the previous font while the 1 (only seen on the back of the $10,000 Wedge in Seasons 24-25), 3, 4, 6, and 9 are identical to Clarendon, which is the font used for the current Lose A Turn and the front side of the Mystery Wedges. In a [http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-03-06/features/0803050758_1_wheel-contestants-spokes March 2008 Chicago Tribune article] regarding various facts about the Wheel itself, the font was stated to be "a customized version of Clarendon bold/black". While the font (also used for all Wheel letters and numbers in the 2008 Philippines version {minus Lose A Turn} and for displaying prize values and the winner's final total in the 2010 Nintendo DS game) likely exists, it is not available to the general public and must be obtained through licensing agreements with the show. Shopping Myth: The option of a gift certificate or "on account" was in place from the beginning. Fact: From the 1974 pilots until around mid-1975, "on account" was the only option. The gift certificate was introduced while Buy A Vowel was still present, as both are in the First Edition game; where it was introduced in relation to the removal of $25, $50, and $75 is unknown. While the July 15 and August 29 shows are held on audio tape by Archival Television Audio, Inc. and would likely help to narrow this and many other factors, they are not known to circulate and would cost $150 to obtain copies. Myth: Gift certificates and "on account" were only available if the player did not have enough to buy the lowest remaining prize. Fact: "On account" was always available, including the ability to do so without buying anything (early episodes apparently had the choice of "on account" or shopping). The gift certificates were likely only available if players had an amount lower than the lowest remaining prize, as it is the rule in the First Edition game. Also, there were several instances of the host going into the options before being reminded from offstage about a remaining two- or low three-digit prize. It is no secret that several prizes were quite esoteric and unlikely to be accepted by most players, which typically resulted in appearing time and again; the ceramic Dalmatian was originally among this group, but became progressively more desirable during the 1980s. Myth: Contestants had to buy their prizes in order from most to least expensive. Fact: Contestants could bounce around if they wanted (and with careful planning, could avoid being stuck with an unwanted prize), but most purchased highest-to-lowest. The practice was likely suggested to help the announcer, as he had to sort his prize description cards into a lowest-to-highest order. Myth: The pricetags were always black on white. Fact: They were originally black-on-''blue'' in a white holder, as seen on the instruction booklet for the First Edition game. The more familiar style debuted by June 7, 1976. Myth: The ceramic Dalmatian was introduced in the 1980s. Fact: Chuck Woolery comments on March 15, 1978 that the show had given away three or four "ceramic dogs" by that point, and the fact he brings it up suggests that one was just bought. According to David Zinkin, who saw the episode at Paley Center in mid-July 2003, they were. Puzzles and Categories Myth: The concept of "plural" categories debuted around March 15, 1978. Fact: At least Things and People debuted in 1975, as no pluralized categories are used in the First Edition game but are in the Second. The very small presence of Things and People, amounting to about four of the 168 puzzles (with Things only appearing once), suggests that the concept was very new. The absence of Events, Fictional Characters, and Places suggests that they were not yet in use. Furthermore, there is no proof before the early 2000s of Titles existing (the earliest known appearance is January 2004, although Pat's comments imply that it had been used before then). Myth: The show has always used punctuation in its puzzles where needed. Fact: Punctuation was nonexistent in the early days, as confirmed by multiple personal recollections and both Milton-Bradley games. The earliest known instance of punctuation is the hyphen of LOVEY-DOVEY on April 7, 1978. The first known puzzle to contain an apostrophe is THERE IS NOTHIN' LIKE A DAME on June 1, 1979. The first known instance of multiple punctuation marks is not until SLEIGHBELLS RING ARE YOU LIST'NIN' on December 24, 1980. Other punctuation marks were gradually introduced since then: * Ampersands on July 18, 1989 (Goen's second episode), although they were initially exclusive to Same Name. * Question marks with the debut of Fill In the Blank (by December 25, 1992), although other puzzles do not seem to have used them until sometime between September 5, 1997 and February 9, 2001. * Slashes by October 26, 1995. * Exclamation points are uncertain: they were not present in September 1995, as a puzzle during that time was JEOPARDY PREMIERES. Although one was used after a Jeopardy! category involving the trilon-based puzzle board in the mid-1990s, there is no evidence of the actual show using them until May 13, 2004. * Periods between May 15, 1995 and May 8, 1996. * Pound signs with the debut of Fill In the Number (April 7, 1998). * Commas are only known to have appeared once, sometime between April 7, 1998 and April 2002 (the Fill In the Number puzzle ##,### LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA). * Colons by December 28, 2004 (possibly taped after its next known appearance on January 28, 2005). * In addition, a dollar sign was used on [http://gscentral.net/wof/1987.htm the February 9, 1987 Newsweek cover with Vanna], which heavily resembles this publicity shot. Myth: Nickname was only used from 1988-89. Fact: It is known to have been used on May 31, 1979, and probably before then (although neither of Milton-Bradley's games use it); based on the available footage of this episode, mostly consisting of Rounds 2 (HOW THE WEST WAS WON) and 3 (SIX FLAGS OVER TEXAS), it is believed that the Nickname puzzle was LONE STAR STATE. As one of the lesser-used categories, Nickname's life has been extremely hard to determine due to a limited number of available episodes and no known examples between 1979-88. Its last known use was on December 18, 1994. Myth: The AT MY WIT'S END bonus puzzle (May 5, 1986) was lost, with the only guess being AT MY CAT'S END. Fact: The contestant actually gave the correct answer very shortly after the guess, albeit with the first half before the buzzer and the second half afterward; as there were no more commercial breaks, a stopdown was done before declaring him a winner. The myth stems from the "cat's end" guess being the only part shown on various specials, with the ceremonial 4,000th nighttime show adding a buzzer immediately after said guess, despite the fact that the moments right afterward are arguably more notable. Myth: Nobody has ever correctly solved a puzzle without any letters revealed. Fact: At least one has – namely, the October 22, 1992 bonus puzzle BABY BOY. Myth: Round 2 on November 2, 1992 was played while viewers saw a brief video about the San Francisco tapings. Fact: While stated by Pat following the above video, Round 2 was actually meant to have aired. The solution was VANNA'S PREGNANT (as she was when the episode was taped on September 11), and after revealing the answer she was greeted by Merv Griffin, who was holding balloons to celebrate the occasion. Unfortunately, by the end of October she had miscarried. Out of respect, the segment was hence replaced on the episode as aired by the aforementioned video, with a freeze-frame of the winning contestant and her score ($1,350) shown afterward. Much later, Vanna's A&E Biography showed behind-the-scenes footage of Merv's appearance. Pat's comments, however, state the round was played during the video. While not only misleading, it could be misconstrued by those who do not know why it was removed as meaning the round was too boring (or replaced arbitrarily) rather than sadly outdated. During the credits, Charlie notes that the episode had been edited for broadcast, but does not clarify. Myth: The 90's was first used in 2000. Fact: The Nineties was used as early as November 22, 1994. The puzzle on that show, WORLD SERIES CANCELED, referred to the announcement made on September 14 of that year. Myth: The EAT FRESH puzzle (January 30, 2008) was the last appearance of Slogan. Fact: Slogan was used once more, on February 19, although that appearance was taped before the January 30 show. Myth: The category that listed ingredients of a food item was "What Are You Making?" Fact: Stated by the Season 25 press release, which also pluralized Fictional Family, it was actually "What Are We Making?". (Similarly, the Season 29 press release referred to "TV Quote" as "Television Quote".) It is, of course, entirely possible that the "wrong" names (discarding "Fictional Families") were the respective categories' titles during their developmental stages. Myth: What Are We Making? is the only "legit" category to be used once. Fact: Composer/Song and Show/Song were used once each in Season 13. Myth: Until the debut of What's That Song?, no "$3,000 bonus" categories were used after Season 25. Fact: Where Are We? was used in Season 26 on September 17 and November 28, 2008. Myth: The Prize Puzzle has never offered anything but trips. Fact: It is known to have awarded a home entertainment package on December 24, 2003; $3,500 "store credit" at TicketsNow.com on May 17, 2004; and a $5,000 HomeGoods shopping spree on January 28, 2010. Myth: The Prize Puzzle has never been a Before & After or Same Name. Fact: On September 9, 2004, the Before & After puzzle LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL WITH BUTTER offered a trip to New Orleans, which relates to the "let the good times roll" portion of the answer (although Pat jokingly tied it into the "roll with butter" portion). Hosts and Hostesses Myth: Edd Byrnes hosted the Shopper's Bazaar pilot. Fact: Stated at one point on Pat's now-defunct website, this is untrue – Chuck hosted Shopper's Bazaar, while Edd hosted the 1974 Wheel pilots. Myth: Only one pilot, hosted by Byrnes, was taped on August 28, 1974. Fact: Stated by various sources, including the ceremonial 3,000th nighttime show, there were actually two pilots recorded that day. According to Mike Burger, who has viewed both pilots, Edd was "happy drunk" on one and "crazy drunk" on the other. Myth: Of the 1974 pilots, Edd and Chuck hosted one each. Fact: Byrnes was suggested by NBC for both pilots. As Shopper's Bazaar was considered to be poor in every aspect by Lin Bolen, Merv, and test audiences, it is likely that Chuck was thought to be part of the problem until network executives witnessed Byrnes' drunken performance. Myth: The host and hostess on the cover of the 1975 board games are not Chuck and Susan. Fact: While the host is clearly not Chuck, Susan confirmed in her book Stop the Wheel, I Want to Get Off! that Milton-Bradley paid her $500 for her image on the cover. Myth: During the shopping era, the hostess always entered from the middle of the curtain. Fact: On the premiere, Susan came out to the contestants' left; by June 7, 1976, she began entering from the players' right. The familiar curtain entrance, used for the rest of the original NBC run and on nighttime through October 2, 1987, was introduced by April 6, 1978. There are only a few known exceptions: * The final day of a 1981 Armed Forces Week had Chuck and Susan introduced together. * On Chuck's last show (December 25, 1981), and possibly that entire week, Susan entered from behind the puzzle board; this was likely done to show off the turntable, which debuted on the 21st. * For certain Teen Week episodes (including December 29, 1982; June 20, 1986; and December 25, 1987), the host and hostess were introduced together. * On Rolf Benirschke's first show (January 10, 1989), Vanna was introduced first and the curtain was not used. Myth: Other than Pat and a very brief appearance by Charlie, no male has ever been in the hostess' position. Fact: Arte Johnson filled the role for at least one episode in late September 1977 (probably the 30th) to promote his NBC game show Knockout, which debuted on October 3 of that year. The timeframe and contemporary news articles suggest that he was filling in for Susan during her absence. Myth: Pat and Vanna have hosted the show together since it began in 1981 on NBC. Fact: Infamously stated by Robin Leach in his behind-the-scenes article on Season 28, absolutely nothing about it is true – the daytime show began in 1975, Pat joined in 1981, and Vanna became hostess in 1982. Myth: Pat began hosting the show in early 1983. Fact: Stated by Ray Richmond in a July 14, 1988 article for the Chicago Tribune, this has already been debunked above. This error may be related to the "1983" picture below, but this is uncertain. Further debunking Richmond's credibility is that in the same article, he claimed that Wheel "was stumbling and on the verge of cancellation" when Pat took over; it was actually drawing a 44 share just before Chuck left, which was a factor in his request for a salary increase. While it was stumbling in 1982-83 and the nighttime show's success helped daytime regain its ratings foothold, it was not on the verge of ending when Pat took over. Myth: When Vanna joined in 1982, she was the first female co-host of a game show. Fact: Stated by the show's official website bio on her, this is untrue from the start when one considers Susan...although the concept dates back even further. The first female game show co-host is likely to be Vivian Ferrer on Americana in 1949 or scorekeeper Frances Buss (later Buss-Buch) on the CBS Television Quiz in 1941-42, the male hosts being Ben Grauer and Gil Fates respectively. Subsequent examples predating Susan begin at late 1949. This said, Stafford likely revitalized the concept, as there are no known examples between early 1962 (Patty Harmon on Tell It To Groucho) and mid-1974. Myth: Other than April Fool's Day 1997, Wheel has never had a guest host. Fact: Alex Trebek filled in on daytime at least twice – a week in August 1980, and at least one episode five years later. Myth: Other than April Fool's Day 1997, Vanna has only spun the Wheel once. Fact: She is known to have spun the Wheel at least three times before then – an early-1984 nighttime episode (Lloyd/Linda/Debbie) at the end of the show, the November 14, 1989 nighttime show where she (for the alternate final segment) played a round for charity while Pat turned the letters, and a daytime Final Spin after Bob Goen got frustrated over repeatedly hitting Bankrupt. It is not known which of these spins the 1997 episode referred to, if it was in fact referring to any of them at all. Myth: Rolf Benirschke was responsible for the show's cancellation in 1989. Fact: The show was cancelled due to NBC and Merv being unable to agree on a license fee, which in turn was due to The Price Is Right continually building its lead. Ratings were consistent during Rolf's tenure, with Wheel retaining the #2 slot (albeit a distant one) among daytime network games. Myth: Rolf would prefer to not talk about his stint as host. Fact: He devoted a chapter to his tenure in his 1996 autobiography Alive & Kicking, contributed to the show's E! True Hollywood Story in January 2005, and briefly talked about it during an October 2011 interview on Sports Talk (which showed a clip of Vanna introducing him on his debut). Myth: As the name indicates, "Vanna for a Day" winner Katie Cantrell got a full episode (March 24, 2011). Fact: Katie only did Rounds 2 and 3 plus a car pose after Round 4, a period that by no stretch of the term could fall under the definition of "day" and essentially renamed the contest "Vanna for Two Rounds". Gameplay Elements Myth: There has never been such a thing as a negative score. Fact: A still from an early episode shows a contestant with a negative score. Apparently, Buy A Vowel deducted the $250 regardless of whether the player actually had it, although (as with every other element of the wedge) this is uncertain. According to one recollection, the still was seen during an electricity-related program at the 1982 World's Fair; the program showed a brief montage of things powered by electricity, one of which was a TV set tuned to Wheel of Fortune – hence, the still. Myth: The hour-long format debuted on December 1, 1975. Fact: While the show regularly went hour-long on that day (through January 16, 1976), it had previously been used for the week of November 3 as part of the network's Daytime Gigantic Game Gala. Myth: The concept of themed weeks began with Game Show Hosts Week in 1980. Fact: The earliest known instance is Brides Week, known to have been held three times – January 24-28, 1977 (three grooms played on the 26th); February 6-10, 1978 (the last known appearance of director Jeff Goldstein); and June 8-12, 1981 (promoted on the June 8 episode of Blockbusters). The 1977 week is also the earliest known appearance of Summer Bartholomew, who modeled several wedding gowns for those shows. While Brides Week is the most concrete example, an argument could be made for the week of November 3, 1975 (due to being a series of "test" hour-long episodes aired as part of NBC's Daytime Gigantic Game Gala) or the All-Star Dream Machine Championship (1976). Myth: The five-and-a-vowel Bonus Round debuted on Pat's first show. Fact: It was in place by December 18, 1981 as the "Christmas Wish Bonus", suggesting that this was its first week of use. It is unknown if it was used on December 21-24. Myth: Players are allowed to solve immediately after spinning. Fact: The only time this is possible is if the space is Free Play, although this has only happened twice. The myth was popularized by various Wheel parodies (including two of the three MadTV ones and that of The Chimp Channel) and appearances (The King of Queens and a Lexus commercial). Ironically, the Chimp Channel sketch has a contestant asking to solve instantly (following the actual rules) and "Pat" telling her that she must spin first. Myth: The price of vowels has always been $250. Fact: While true for nighttime, the cost in daytime was cut to $200 on July 17, 1989 and again to $100 sometime between January 4 and July 5, 1990. Myth: Money claimed from the daytime Jackpot was available for shopping rounds. Fact: The Jackpot was a cash award treated as a Prize wedge, not unlike the $10,000 Wedge. It could not be spent on vowels, either. Myth: Big Month of Cash began on September 14, 1987 (the Season 5 premiere). Fact: It began on October 5, a fact that became apparent when GSN reran at least one 1987 shopping episode during its early years (with the original "Winnie" logo) and confirmed when the first BMOC episode (#S-796) aired during the Merv Griffin tribute in 2007. The first three weeks of Season 5 were very likely taped before the Summer break. Myth: "Big Month/Bonanza of Cash" only applied to the month of October 1987. Fact: "Bonanza" was first used on November 2 (when the changes became permanent) and remained through at least February 12, 1988. It is known to have been dropped while Jack Clark was still announcer. Myth: The Friday Finals format debuted in 1996. Fact: The earliest known use of the concept is the All-Star Dream Machine Championship in 1976, although the finals comprised two shows instead of one (not unlike Jeopardy! tournaments). The more familiar version was used as early as December 1982 for Teen Week, Couples Week, Family Week, and Battle of the Sexes Week, among others. The concept was not officially called "Friday Finals" until September 1996. Myth: The Friday Finals were dropped after Season 15. Fact: It was used one last time for the NFL Players Week of January 25, 1999. Myth: The concept of returning players was eliminated due to the sheer amount of contestant applications. Fact: Pat stated on the Sony Rewards website that it was removed because skilled puzzle-solvers could repeatedly hit Bankrupt or Lose A Turn while unskilled solvers rack up a runaway lead. While luck on the Wheel is arguably half the point of the game, Pat's explanation makes little sense as such an outcome can and has happened anyway. This is most noticeable through the Prize Puzzle, as some players have won the game through solving it rather than his or her own skill. It should be noted that the concept was nixed after both the 1997 court order banning Raymond Taylor and the March 18, 1998 appearance of quickly-convicted child molester Matthew Fenwick. Myth: Players who have appeared on a version other than the syndicated run are allowed to play again. Fact: While this is true of sister show Jeopardy!, being on the American Wheel at any point in its history (including Wheel 2000, the unaired 2012 Lottery Winners show{s}, and possibly the 1973-74 pilots) renders you ineligible for the rest of your life. The show's website goes into detail on the "Show FAQs" page, but only says it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience on the "Contestant FAQs" page. Players are not prohibited from mentioning other versions, however, and it has happened several times: * Sarah (last name unknown; College Week of May 12, 2003) mentioned that her mother was on in 1977 and purchased a trip whereby she met the man she eventually married; hence, without Wheel, her daughter would not exist. * Paul Hermosillo (November 27, 2008) mentioned that his mother played in 1977 (while pregnant with him) and bought a few prizes; Google searches reveal her name to be Gaylee Gillmore, and Paul's birthday to be somewhere between June 17 and November 22, 1977. * Cheron Burns (December 8, 2009) mentioned that her father played in 1976; this article from December 3 mentions his name (Ron Burns) and that he purchased a trip to Bermuda which essentially became his honeymoon. Unfortunately, Ron is not present on any of the three surviving 1976 episodes. * Erin Diamond (April 21, 2011) mentioned that her mother was on the show in 1978, with Chuck briefly name-dropped; she later revealed on her contestant blog that her mother won, and her Facebook page gives the name: Robbie Goldstein Diamond. As contestant information remains unknown on two of the six surviving 1978 episodes, it is not known whether Robbie was on either of those. * Jamie Oelrich (May 10, 2012) mentioned that her grandmother, Sharon, played during the Woolery era. Further, the appearance limit was nonexistent through at least the end of August 1983: a contestant named Janet played on October 8, 1980 and #S-003 (September 21, 1983), while a player named Paul was told after his appearance on #S-052 (November 29, 1983) that he could try out for Wheel again the following year. The rule was definitely in place by the end of 1998: according to one recollection, a 1970s contestant had to be removed from the contestant prep room for just that reason. Myth: The "Final Spin" graphic is used to mask any editing should Pat spin a non-cash wedge. Fact: Any edits made during the Final Spin can easily be seen when the camera angle changes to the overhead, close-up shot of the Wheel. This is most obvious if the red arrow is heading for Bankrupt, Lose A Turn, or Free Play and the close-up shot has it landing somewhere else entirely (such as a few wedges to the right of wherever the Wheel was headed originally). Myth: If nobody solves the $2,000 Toss-Up, Round 1 is started by the contestant who solved the $1,000 Toss-Up. Fact: It is always started by the red player, regardless of who solved the $1,000 Toss-Up. It is not known why this is the case. Myth: The second $1,000,000 win aired October 19, 2010. Fact: Hinted at in a promo aired October 13, the Million-Dollar Wedge was claimed on the 19th but lost to Bankrupt in Round 4. In addition, the contestant who had it did not win the game. Sets and Sounds Myth: The 1981-89 Bonus Round timer cue was composed by Thicke. Fact: It was the Bonus Round cue on ABC's unsold revival attempt of Beat the Odds in January 1975 and the arrow-spin cue on CBS' short-lived Give-n-Take at the other end of the year, neither of which had any association with Thicke. While the assumption is understandable, given that both shows are rather obscure and the cue was introduced on Wheel while Thicke's music package was in use, the fact that the cue remained when Merv's music package debuted proves the rumor false. (Incidentally, Beat the Odds and Give-n-Take were produced by Bill Carruthers, who later created Second Chance for ABC and its revival Press Your Luck for CBS.) Myth: The original Bankrupt, "category reveal", "only vowels remain", buzzer, ding, and Final Spin sounds were created by Thicke. Fact: Again, this is untrue, and again because they remained after Merv's music package debuted. The Final Spin chimes in particular had previously been the end-of-round signal on Jeopardy! Myth: The changes made for Season 2 debuted in September 1984. Fact: At least one episode with the Merv Griffin Enterprises logo, known to have debuted at the beginning of Season 2, otherwise uses the elements commonly associated with Season 1: namely, the original starburst backdrops and original "Changing Keys". Myth: The third set of starburst contestant backdrops debuted in September 1986. Fact: At least one nighttime episode, known to have aired the week of October 13, has the 1986 Wheel colors with the 1984 backdrops. They were changed by November 13. Strangely, the third backdrops were used on the 227 episode that aired October 4. Myth: The studio audience chants the show's title at the start of nearly every episode. Fact: With a few rare exceptions, such as certain road shows (most recognizably the Radio City Music Hall stint in November 1988), the chant is actually a recording that has been in use since August 1983. A similar pre-recorded chant was used on Wheel 2000, which was likely made during its first pilot. Myth: The nighttime contestant backdrops began using the 1988 diamonds full-time in 1991. Fact: The diamond backdrops were only permanent from Seasons 8-9 (1990-92), but remained in use on road shows through the end of Season 12 in 1995. (Note that this does not apply to the daytime version, which retained the chevron backdrops for the rest of its run.) Myth: The four-line trilon-based puzzle board resides in the Smithsonian Institution. Fact: While the board was reportedly offered to the Smithsonian, it was rejected due to its large size. On Pat's now-defunct website, he stated that the board was "gone". Both the studio and road show boards no longer exist, except for a single trilon with a W slide (displayed backwards) in Sony Studios' Wheel Hall of Fame. The fate of the original three-line puzzle board (1974-81) is unknown, although the trilons were almost certainly held over. The shapes of the respective boards, along with various side and back shots of the four-row version, suggest that the three-line board was simply altered rather than discarded. Myth: The font used for the show's logo is "SF Fortune Wheel". Fact: "SF Fortune Wheel" was created by font designer Derek Vogelpohl in 1999. The font used for the show's official logo appears to be based on "Chesty" (also known as "Bust"), though some characters differ slightly in appearance in comparison to both aforementioned fonts – notably, "Chesty" includes lowercase letters (though not the Wheel-shaped "o") while "SF Fortune Wheel" does not. Other characters and words that do not appear in the logo have been displayed in the font on rare occasions (such as "WHEEL AROUND THE WORLD" during said week in Season 28), though the font does not appear to be available to the general public. The above said, "SF Fortune Wheel" has been used by the show for various reasons (such as "WINNER" during the Winner Wonderland Sweepstakes promos in December 2005) as well as on show-related sources, mainly certain video game adaptations. Staff Myth: Nancy Jones joined Wheel as producer in 1980. Fact: She was co-producer from at least the 1974 pilots and became sole producer on August 25, 1976 (John Rhineheart was promoted to West Coast Daytime Program Development Director), supported by a contemporary Variety article announcing the change and the Paley Center listings for NBC's All-Star Dream Machine Championship. A 1986 behind-the-scenes report for KDSK, in which Jones described the basic Shopper's Bazaar format, suggests that she was present from the beginning. Nancy remained producer until early June 1995, when she was replaced by Harry Friedman. Myth: Dick Carson joined Wheel as director in 1982. Fact: Stated by Carson himself on his last episode (May 21, 1999), this is untrue – he began in 1978 (replacing Jeff Goldstein), and furthermore is listed as director in the full credit roll on March 25, 1980. Myth: Jack Clark announced through the end of Season 5. Fact: Charlie O'Donnell started filling in on both versions on May 9, 1988. Charlie presumably continued to announce for the rest of the season, and Johnny Gilbert announced at least one week of daytime in August. Jack returned on nighttime to do the first few weeks of replacement fee plugs, but he soon became too ill to do even that; as a result, Pat and Vanna filled this role through the end of the Summer. Myth: M. G. Kelly was hired solely as an interim/fill-in announcer until Charlie could return. Fact: While clearly looking like this from a modern standpoint, no contemporary news articles or behind-the-scenes TV reports (nor his formal introduction on the September 6 nighttime show) suggest that Kelly was anything less than the show's new announcer. The circumstances of Kelly's departure and Charlie's return are uncertain, although the tapedates of the 1,000th nighttime show and Rolf's first day (August 17 and December 14, respectively) suggest that the switch occurred during a Christmas/New Year's taping break. Myth: M. G. Kelly was announcer for two years. Fact: Stated on his official website, this is untrue (as mentioned above, he only did five months). Myth: Charlie's last episode was October 29, 2010. Fact: By the time Charlie fell ill in October (with Gilbert filling in for two weeks), he had recorded eight weeks that were scheduled to air at various points during the remainder of Season 28 (November 8, 22, and 29; December 20 and 27; January 3; February 7; and March 28). Following his death on November 1, it was decided to dub over them with various guest announcers; the official reason was that it was "a tough decision, but it would have been too sad to hear Charlie's voice so close to his death." Some fans considered the dubbing unnecessary, redundant, and above all disrespectful, saying that a short tribute graphic/explanation would have sufficed and that viewers were being cheated. Further, given how the during-a-season deaths of Johnny Olson and Rod Roddy were handled by The Price Is Right (airing the remainder of Johnny's work and keeping both men's work intact for repeats the following Summer), it has been speculated that the Wheel dubbing was instead a desire to keep up the misconception that they tape in airing order. Myth: No reason was given for dubbing Jim Thornton over the other guest announcers in Summer 2011. Fact: The official reason was because Wheel had announced his hiring and wanted to "establish" him. This is again unlike Price, which during the same timeframe aired mostly George Gray episodes but included shows with the other guest announcers intact. Jim was also dubbed over several episodes which formerly had someone else dubbed over Charlie's original announcing, resulting in three people doing the exact same work. It has been speculated that these dubs were instead Wheel either unwilling to pay royalties to the other substitutes and/or thinking their work so inferior to Jim's that their episodes were not worth rerunning unless he was dubbed over them. Others Myth: Merv's concept was based on a 1950s game show also called Wheel of Fortune. Fact: The 1950s Wheel was a Peter Arnell series which ran on CBS from October 3, 1952 to December 24, 1953 and was a rather different beast to Merv's game. Hosted by Todd Russell with Hal Simms as announcer, the show invited good Samaritans to share their stories to America (including Duane Dewey, the first person to receive a Medal of Honor from President Eisenhower) and spin a vertical carnival-style Wheel for cash or a nice prize; the "top value" was $1,000, awarded for correctly answering a trivia question. The theme was Kay Starr's 1952 rendition of "Wheel of Fortune", which had previously enjoyed 22 weeks (nine at #1) on Billboard's best-seller chart. While Merv's format was not based on Arnell's (much as the A&Q concept of Jeopardy! was not based on Gil Fates' 1941-42 CBS Television Quiz), the two Wheel''s nonetheless have marked similarities: the 1950s ''Wheel offered cash and prizes, had its logo in the center of the Wheel (as a permanent decoration rather than a graphic), did hour-long episodes (a regular feature each Friday), won awards (an "Award of Merit" presented on-set by Robert C. Preble), spun off a nighttime version (July 7-September 15, 1953), upped its top value ($2,500 by September 18), and even changed hosts (journalist Mike Wallace took over sometime between May 25 and September 18). Further, the concept of a vertical Wheel was used by Ed Flesh for the Shopper's Bazaar pilot in 1973. A tweaked format was also very successful in Australia, running on radio from 16 June 1957 to 1959 and the Nine Network from September 1959 to 1964; originally hosted by producer Reg Grundy, he was replaced by Walter Elliott in 1962. In 1981, Grundy debuted [[International versions#Australia|an adaptation of Merv's Wheel]] to even greater success. And, much like 1975-85 episodes of Merv's format, both Arnell's Wheel and Grundy's adaptation are likely long since gone. Two pictures exist of the former (Russell and the Wheel, seen in the A&E Biography episode "TV Game Shows"; Russell and Arnell being presented the Award of Merit), while clips of the latter have been used in various Aussie retrospectives. Myth: The collection of Danny Voisine contains many episodes not listed here. Fact: While certainly mentioning many episodes that would no doubt be coveted by even casual Wheel fans (among others: a Byrnes pilot, the "infamous first hour show", Pat's entire debut week, Susan's last two shows, Vanna's first tryout show, and the final week with Alan Thicke's music package), Voisine is believed to have not had those or any other extremely-rare items he listed – including, infamously, 25 episodes of the 1975-80 Cross-Wits. Still other listings are not known to be supported by anything else, such as a Woolery Wheel pilot taped November 30, 1974 with Jack Clark announcing. (The above said, if Voisine does have anything he lists, the admins of this Wiki gladly invite him to send copies to them and will subsequently remove/alter this section accordingly.) Myth: The collection of Mark Raby contains two other episodes of the 1980 Game show Hosts Week. Fact: While Raby had a decent collection, including items that had never been in the trading circuit, he is believed to have not had the aforementioned Wheel episodes or several other extremely-rare items he listed (including episodes of Dough Re Mi, the premiere of The Money Maze, and a 1978 episode of The Price Is Right with Shower Game). He is known to have used illness as an excuse, and in July 2003 he even faked his own death. (The above said, if Raby does have anything he lists, the admins of this Wiki gladly invite him to send copies to them and will subsequently remove/alter this section accordingly.) Myth: The clip seen in the ceremonial 4,000th nighttime episode with the caption of "1983" is from 1983. Fact: Also seen in the ceremonial 3,000th nighttime show (minus the caption), it is the first nine seconds of the January 18, 1978 episode held by Paley Center. Every element seen in the clip was changed by the nighttime debut: Charlie O'Donnell replaced by Jack Clark (August 1980), platforms of prizes replaced by a single large turntable (December 1981), and "Big Wheels" replaced by "Changing Keys" (August 1983). It is not known how such an error managed to make it on-air. Strangely, other than this and two clips of a 1974 pilot, Wheel has not shown anything from non-Sajak eras. Myth: Augustus provided the host's wardrobe for the entire daytime run. Fact: It is not known who performed this service in the early years, although Augustus began doing so by April 6, 1978 and Wheel was not its only credit (among others, Bill Cullen's wardrobe on Chain Reaction and Gene Rayburn's wardrobe on Break the Bank). The company was replaced on daytime Wheel by Rick Pallack sometime between February 22 and June 30, 1989, but continued to provide Pat's wardrobe on the nighttime show through at least June 3, 1992; by the Season 10 premiere on September 7, it had been replaced by Fred Hayman. While it may seem silly, Augustus' wardrobe credit was probably the most resilient thing about the show. Myth: The June 30, 1989 show was not announced as being any sort of finale. Fact: While not stated outright, there are at least two signs that it was – most obviously, the credit roll is of the extended style (Music, Utility, Flyman, etc.) used on other NBC game show finales, with precedent going as far back as Go in January 1984. Less obvious is the Round 1 puzzle, TALK TO THE POWERS THAT BE. Myth: The exact number of daytime episodes is unknown. Fact: The total number, 4,215, was stated by Peter Tomarken during GSN's first day in 1994, just before the nighttime Wheel debut was shown. It is known that #368 aired June 7, 1976; #785 on January 18, 1978; #2,000-2,016 on November 19-December 13, 1982 (ending at Vanna's first permanent show); #2,044 on January 20, 1983; #3,000 on October 3, 1986; #3,421 on June 14, 1988; #3,563-3,568 on January 6-13, 1989 (Pat's last two shows and Rolf's first four); and #3,649 on May 9, 1989. Episode #1,000 probably aired in November or December 1978; #1,600 in early 1981 (as Chuck mentioned the milestone on April 21); and #4,000 in late 1990. Myth: The daytime show kept the continual episode numbering for its entire run. Fact: When the show moved to CBS on July 17, 1989, they began using a three-digit episode counter prefaced by "#C" (for example, #C115 aired December 27, 1989). The return to NBC on January 14, 1991 ditched this for a new three-digit counter prefaced by "#DT" (for example, #DT032 aired February 26). It is not known why either was done. Myth: Much like Classic Concentration, daytime Wheel continued in some form until December 31, 1993. Fact: Wheel ended its daytime run on September 20, 1991. There is no evidence that it continued past that point in any manner, local or otherwise. This myth was perpetrated on Wikipedia in October-November 2008, when two IP-address editors changed the daytime version's article to say it ended first-run shows on January 15, 1993 (later changed to New Year's Eve 1993), even claiming that daytime adopted the "interlocking W's" backdrops on July 20, 1992. (If anyone has proof otherwise, please let one of this Wiki's administrators know.) Myth: The nighttime episodes celebrated as #3,000 and #4,000 were correctly numbered. Fact: Wheel was wrong on both counts – "#3,000" (November 20, 1998) is actually #2,980, while "#4,000" (November 10, 2003) is #3,946...and a Monday. The milestones eventually aired, most likely with no fanfare or error recognition, on December 18, 1998 and January 23, 2004 respectively. Similarly, while #5,000 was (loosely) celebrated on the correct date (February 27, 2009), it and the preceding four shows of that week were sixth-show tapings, meaning that none of them were the numbers they claimed to be. It is possible that "#3,000" and "#4,000" are correct in terms of taping order, but the airdates above suggest Wheel intentionally jumped the gun for the sake of November sweeps. Myth: The show tapes in airing order. Fact: The show tends to tape well out of airing order, a practice going as far back as the 1983-84 season (one episode from each of five different tapings were compiled together to make each week of Season 1, not unlike the sixth-show weeks today). This practice was best demonstrated in Season 28, when Charlie was dubbed over. Myth: The viral YouTube video "Most Awkward Wheel Of Fortune Moment Ever" is real. Fact: The video and contestant are fake, using footage from December 8, 2009 (reran February 5, 2011, with the video originally uploaded shortly thereafter) with the letters and category strip taken from various puzzles throughout it. The Wheel spins and Pat saying "No N." are from the beginning of Round 3, SOLD TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER (Phrase). Myth: The Portland weeks in May 2012 were the show's inaugural trip to that city. Fact: Stated in an official press release, and while true for the nighttime show and taping episodes there, it is overall the show's second trip. The first, in August 1981 for the week of September 21, mainly consisted of recording location footage and auditioning contestants to be flown to Burbank for Portland Week. Category:Lists